Close-range remote sensing of Saturn’s rings during Cassini’s ring-grazing orbits and Grand Finale

Saturn’s rings are an accessible exemplar of an astrophysical disk, tracing the Saturn system’s dynamical processes and history. We present close-range remote-sensing observations of the main rings from the Cassini spacecraft. We find detailed sculpting of the rings by embedded masses, and banded texture belts throughout the rings. Saturn-orbiting streams of material impact the F ring. There are fine-scaled correlations among optical depth, spectral properties, and temperature in the B ring, but anticorrelations within strong density waves in the A ring. There is no spectral distinction between plateaux and the rest of the C ring, whereas the region outward of the Keeler gap is spectrally distinct from nearby regions. These results likely indicate that radial stratification of particle physical properties, rather than compositional differences, is responsible for producing these ring structures.

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Voyager UVS observations of stellar occultations by the rings of Saturn

International Astronomical Union Colloquium ◽

10.1017/s0252921100101265 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 75 ◽

pp. 265-277

Author(s):

J.B. Holbelg ◽

W.T. Forrester

Keyword(s):

Optical Depth ◽

Distance Scale ◽

Density Waves ◽

Ring Density ◽

Stellar Occultations ◽

Saturn’S Rings ◽

Saturn's Rings

ABSTRACTDuring the Voyager 1 and 2 Saturn encounters the ultraviolet spectrometers observed three separate stellar occultations by Saturn's rings. Together these three observations, which sampled the optical depth of the rings at resolutions from 3 to 6 km. can be used to establish a highly accurate distance scale allowing the identification of numerous ring features associated with resonances due to exterior satellites. Three separate observations of an eccentric ringlet near the location of the Titan apsidal resonance are discussed along with other ringlet-resonance associations occurring in the C ring. Density waves occurring in the A and B rings are reviewed and a detailed discussion of the analysis of one of these features is presented.

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Structure and dynamical processes in Saturn's rings

International Astronomical Union Colloquium ◽

10.1017/s0252921100101447 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 75 ◽

pp. 393-395

Author(s):

Richard J. Terrile

Keyword(s):

High Resolution ◽

Large Scale ◽

Large Scale Structure ◽

Ring Structure ◽

Ring System ◽

Scale Structure ◽

Dynamical Processes ◽

Saturn’S Rings ◽

Saturn's Rings

The Voyager encounters have provided the first high resolution look at the Saturn ring system. Images of the rings reveal several classes of dynamical processes active in creating and maintaining large scale structure. These classes include variable ring features attributable to the influence of external satellite resonances, ring structure induced by the shepherding effects from external and possibly internal satellites, smooth eccentric ringlets contained within clear gaps in the ring and the dynamics of spokes which may represent a transient ring atmosphere.

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Unusual imaging observations of Saturn's rings

International Astronomical Union Colloquium ◽

10.1017/s0252921100101216 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 75 ◽

pp. 225-227

Author(s):

Richard J. Terrile

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Imaging Experiment ◽

Saturn’S Rings ◽

F Ring ◽

Saturn's Rings

Voyager cameras recorded a number of surprising and unusual features in Saturn's rings. These features include the large-scale markings (commonly called spokes) seen rotating around Saturn in the B-Ring, kinks and clumps in the F-Ring and A-Ring gap (Keeler or Encke gap) ringlets, wavy gap edges in the Cassini and A-Ring gaps, eccentric ringlets and chaotic ringlet structures. Detailed observations of these features by the Voyager imaging experiment will be discussed.

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Saturn's Rings I Optical Depth Profiles from the 28 Sgr Occultation

Icarus ◽

10.1006/icar.2000.6356 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 145 (2) ◽

pp. 474-501 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

P Nicholson

Keyword(s):

Optical Depth ◽

Depth Profiles ◽

Saturn’S Rings ◽

Saturn's Rings

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Resonance identifications in Saturn’s rings

International Astronomical Union Colloquium ◽

10.1017/s025292110010140x ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 75 ◽

pp. 349-359

Author(s):

M.E. Wiesel ◽

F.A. Franklin

Keyword(s):

Band Structure ◽

Resonance Band ◽

Saturn’S Rings ◽

F Ring ◽

Saturn's Rings

AbstractWhen Saturn’s oblateness perturbations are included, a single classical resonance splits into a resonance band structure. We have derived expressions for resonance location, libration region width, and the maximum librator range. We compare these predictions to areas of the C and B rings, the Cassini division, and the F ring, and offer some thoughts on possible mechanisms involved.

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Saturn’s rings resolved by the VLA

International Astronomical Union Colloquium ◽

10.1017/s0252921100101010 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 75 ◽

pp. 71-74

Author(s):

Imke de Pater ◽

John R. Dickel

Keyword(s):

High Resolution ◽

Optical Depth ◽

Ring Plane ◽

Radio Data ◽

Preliminary Results ◽

Saturn’S Rings ◽

Saturn's Rings

ABSTRACTHigh resolution radio data of Saturn have been obtained at 1.3, 2, 6 and 21 cm, at differentinclinationangles of the ring plane. Preliminary results on optical depth measurements in the rings are described.

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Existence of moonlets in Saturn's rings inferred from the optical depth profile

Nature ◽

10.1038/339607a0 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 339 (6226) ◽

pp. 607-608 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Frank Spahn ◽

Hanno Sponholz

Keyword(s):

Optical Depth ◽

Depth Profile ◽

Saturn’S Rings ◽

Saturn's Rings

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Dynamics of Gravitating Systems of Colliding Particles in Planetary Discs

Symposium - International Astronomical Union ◽

10.1017/s0074180900012730 ◽

1979 ◽

Vol 81 ◽

pp. 197-202 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

André Brahic

Keyword(s):

Solar System ◽

Optical Depth ◽

Interstellar Clouds ◽

Gravitational Perturbations ◽

Planets And Satellites ◽

Saturn’S Rings ◽

Gravitating Systems ◽

Saturn's Rings ◽

Solid Bodies ◽

The Universe

During this symposium on the dynamics of the solar system, we have mainly studied the movements of the bodies of the solar system submitted to gravitational perturbations. The next step is to take into account the physical collisions. Indeed, there can be little doubt that collisions between “macroscopic bodies” are of frequent occurence in the Universe. All kinds of quite different objects undergo such collisions: these may range from large interstellar clouds to small solid bodies in the solar system. Collisions have surely played an important role in the formation of planets and satellites and continue to play a central role in the behaviour of the planetary discs. For example for Saturn's rings, one can see intuitively that until the optical depth drops much below unity, the rings are still evolving. Each orbiting particle can be taken as occupying a kind of torus, and collisions will continue until there is only one particle in each such “orbital tube”; this corresponds to a very small optical depth.

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Saturn’s Rings

10.1093/acrefore/9780190647926.013.236 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Larry W. Esposito

Keyword(s):

Giant Planets ◽

Origin And Evolution ◽

Ring Structures ◽

Recent Origin ◽

Aggregation And Disaggregation ◽

Saturn’S Rings ◽

The Individual ◽

Saturn's Rings ◽

Football Stadiums ◽

Local Laboratory

Saturn’s rings are not only a beautiful and enduring symbol of space, but astronomers’ best local laboratory for studying phenomena in thin cosmic disks like those where planets formed. All the giant planets have ring systems. Saturn’s are the biggest and brightest. Saturn’s rings are made of innumerable icy particles, ranging from the size of dust to that of football stadiums. Galileo discovered Saturn’s rings with his newly invented telescope, but they were not explained until Huygens described them as thin, flat disks surrounding the planet. In the space age, rings were found around the other giant planets in our solar system. Rings have been seen around asteroids and likely exist around exoplanets. Many of the ring structures seen are created by gravity from Saturn’s moons. Rings show both ongoing aggregation and disaggregation. After decades of study from space and by theoretical analysis, some puzzles still remain unexplained. There is evidence for youthful rings from Cassini results, but no good theory to explain their recent origin. A future Saturn Ring Observer mission would be able to determine the direct connections between the individual ring physical properties and the origin and evolution of larger structures.

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